While the Lakers have been poor on the court over the past two seasons, it has been made worse by their inability to land their preferred targets to help them rebuild the roster.

A report released earlier in the season suggested veteran guard Kobe Bryant was an issue for players thinking of moving to the Staples Center, but the players themselves came out publicly to insist that that was not the case.

In turn, Barnes has given his opinion on the matter and the former Lakers star believes that it is more so down to the organisation’s management team that is causing the problem.

“The reason people don’t want to go to the Lakers is because of management,” Barnes told SI.com.

“Kobe can be the scapegoat all they want but if you play hard, Kobe likes you. And if you bulls— around, he doesn’t. It’s plain and simple. He’s not a vocal leader. He just expects you to play as hard as you can every minute on the court, like he does.”

Bryant’s competitive nature has been questioned in the past, particularly when examples of his arguably over-zealous methods in motivating his teammates can have an adverse effect on them.

However, Barnes is adamant that that is not what is holding the Lakers back and if anything it is a positive as it pushes players to improve themselves.

Nevertheless, his argument regarding the team’s management is flawed too as ultimately not many players will take great notice of the management if they are settled and happy on a team that is winning.

While a positive track record is always helpful, this summer will give a better indication of what, if anything, is holding the Lakers back as they will look to the Draft and free agency to build a competitive roster for next season in what will be Bryant’s last as a player.